From Election Hero to Corruption Suspect: Police Recommend Charges Against Njai

By JarraNews Staff Writer

Alieu Momar Njai, the retired election chief once celebrated for presiding over the historic 2016 polls that ended Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule and forced the former dictator into exile, now finds himself at the centre of a corruption storm. Police investigators have recommended that the 91-year-old former chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) face charges of corruption and abuse of office. A ten-month probe, launched after auditors flagged suspicious transfers of over 301 million dalasis into private bank accounts of election returning officers, uncovered widespread financial mismanagement within the Commission. According to investigators, Mr. Njai personally authorised nearly 16 million dalasis in what they describe as unlawful allowances to staff. The report also recommends prosecuting IEC Finance Director Anthony Robert Secka for negligence and for approving irregular transfers of public funds into private accounts. Further findings point to procurement violations and an overpayment to a contractor worth almost $100,000. The police file, now with the Ministry of Justice for legal advice, could mark a dramatic fall from grace for a man once hailed as the guardian of The Gambia’s democratic transition.